Adaptive beamforming for audio and data applications

• US 8,681,997 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2009
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Karaoguz, Jeyhan
• Primary Examiner(s): Mei, Xu
• Application Number:
  US12/539,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20100329489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,686 Days
• Field of Search: 381/307, 381 17- 19, 381/309, 381/310, 381/58, 381/59, 381/95, 381/96
• US Class Current: 381/17
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2203/12 Beamforming aspects for stereophonic sound reproduction with loudspeaker arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/024 Positioning of loudspeaker enclosures for spatial sound reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

A system and method for performing efficient directed sound and/or data to a user utilizing position information. Various aspects may, for example, comprise determining position associated with one or more recipients of audio signals, determining one or more audio signal parameters based, at least in part, on such determined position information, and generating audio signals based on such determined audio signal parameters. For example, direction, timing, phasing and/or magnitude of such audio signals may be adapted based on a dynamic recipient positional environment.

Claims

1. An audio presentation method comprising:

determining an initial position in a sound presentation environment;

determining, an initial audio signal parameter that takes into consideration the initial position;

outputting audio to the sound presentation environment according to the initial audio signal parameter; and

detecting an environment change to the sound presentation environment that occurs while outputting the audio by detecting that an additional listener is present in the sound presentation environment in addition to an existing listener already present in the sound presentation environment, and in response;

determining an updated position in the sound presentation environment by taking into account both a listener position of the additional listener and a listener position of the existing listener;

determining an updated audio signal parameter that takes into consideration the updated position; and

outputting audio to the sound presentation environment according to the updated signal parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, where detecting the environment change further comprises:

determining that the existing listener or the additional listener, or both, has moved to the updated position.

3. The method of claim 1, where determining the initial position, determining the updated position, or both, comprises determining a location of an electronic device present in the sound presentation environment.

4. The method of claim 3, where the electronic device comprises a remote control of a system outputting the audio.

5. The method of claim 1, where determining the initial position, determining the updated position, or both, comprises receiving location information from a cellular telephone.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising determining the updated position based on both a position of the existing listener and a position of the additional listener.

7. The method of claim 1, where determining the initial audio signal parameter, the updated audio signal parameter, or both, comprises determining relative audio signal timing for outputting the audio through multiple output devices.

8. The method of claim 1, where determining the initial audio signal parameter, the updated audio signal parameter, or both, comprises determining relative audio signal timing for outputting the audio through multiple sound emitting elements of an output device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeatedly checking for further environment changes and adapting the audio to take into consideration a detected further environment change.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a further environment change when the existing listener or the additional listener has left the sound presentation environment.

11. The method of claim 1, where determining the initial audio signal parameter, the updated audio signal parameter, or both, comprises determining audio signal strength for an output device.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising outputting the audio through multiple output devices;

and

where the initial audio signal parameter and the updated audio signal parameter are determined for delivering consistent volume of the audio at the initial position and the updated position.

13. The method of claim 1, where detecting that the additional listener is present in the sound presentation environment comprises:

determining that the additional listener is present when the additional listener remains in a particular position in the sound presentation environment for more than a first predetermined amount of time.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a departure of the additional listener from the sound presentation environment when the additional listener is not detected in the sound presentation environment for more than a second predetermined amount of time; and

adapting the audio in response to the departure of the additional listener.

15. The method of claim 1, where determining the updated position in the sound presentation environment comprises:

selecting, as the updated position, a position of the existing listener or a position of the additional listener.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising selecting, as the updated position, a listener position of a high priority listener in the sound presentation environment.

17. The method of claim 15, comprising selecting, as the updated position, a listener position most in-line with a main viewing axis of a video display.

18. The method of claim 15, comprising selecting, as the updated position, a listener position closest to a video display.

19. An audio system comprising:

an audio adaptation module operable to;

determine an initial position in a sound presentation environment;

determine, an initial audio signal parameter that takes into consideration the initial position;

output audio to the sound presentation environment according to the initial audio signal parameter; and

detect an environment change to the sound presentation environment that occurs while outputting the audio, and in response;

determine an updated position in the sound presentation environment by taking into consideration both a first listener position of a first listener in the sound presentation environment and a second listener position of a second listener in the sound presentation environment;

determine an updated audio signal parameter that takes into consideration the updated position; and

output audio to the sound presentation environment according to the updated signal parameter.

20. The system of claim 19, where the audio adaptation module is operable to detect the environment change by determining that the first or second listener in the sound presentation environment has moved to the updated position.

21. The system of claim 19, where the audio adaptation module is operable to determine the initial position, the updated position, or both, by determining a location of an electronic device present in the sound presentation environment.

22. The system of claim 20, where the electronic device comprises a remote control of a system outputting the audio.

23. The system of claim 19, where the audio adaptation module is operable to determine the initial position, the updated position, or both, by receiving location information from a cellular telephone.

24. The system of claim 19, where the audio adaptation module is operable to determine the initial position based on both the first listener position and the second listener position.

25. The system of claim 19, where the audio adaptation module is operable to determine the initial audio signal parameter, the updated audio signal parameter, or both, by determining relative audio signal timing for outputting the audio through multiple output devices.

26. The system of claim 19, where the audio adaptation module is operable to determine the initial audio signal parameter, the updated audio signal parameter, or both, by determining relative audio signal timing for outputting the audio through multiple sound emitting elements of an output device.

27. The system of claim 19, where the audio adaptation module is further operable to:

repeatedly check for further environment changes and adapting the audio to take into consideration a detected further environment change.

28. The system of claim 19, where the audio adaptation module is further operable to detect a further environment change when the first or second listener has left the sound presentation environment.

29. The system of claim 19, where the audio adaptation module is operable to determine the initial audio signal parameter, the updated audio signal parameter, or both, by determining audio signal strength for an output device.

30. The system of claim 19, where the audio adaptation module is operable to:

output the audio through multiple output devices; and

where the initial audio signal parameter and the updated audio signal parameter are determined for delivering consistent volume of the audio at the initial position and the updated position.

31. The system of claim 19, where the audio adaptation module is further operable to detect that an additional listener is present in the sound presentation environment by:

determining that the additional listener is present when the additional listener remains in a particular position in the sound presentation environment for more than a first predetermined amount of time.

32. The system of claim 31, where the audio adaptation module is further operable to:

determine a departure of the additional listener from the sound presentation environment when the additional listener is not detected in the sound presentation environment for more than a second predetermined amount of time; and

adapt the audio in response to the departure of the additional listener.

33. The system of claim 19, where the audio adaptation module is operable to determine the updated position as a position between the first and second listener positions.

34. The system of claim 19, where the audio adaptation module is operable to determine the updated position as a midpoint position between the first and second listener positions.

35. The system of claim 19, where the audio adaptation module is operable to determine the updated position by:

determining a midpoint position between the first and second listener positions; and

skewing the midpoint position to obtain the updated position.

36. The system of claim 35, where the audio adaptation module is operable to skew the midpoint position towards a main viewing axis of a video display, a closest listener position to the midpoint position, a position of an electronic device in the sound presentation environment, or a high priority listener position.